Fate

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Bambi's mother was a deer living in the forest. She is the wife of the Great Prince of the Forest and mother to her son, Bambi. She is featured in Bambi, in which she raises Bambi and educates him about the forest. However, she is killed by a hunter halfway through the film. She was the Great Princess of the Forest and she was very close to Ena, though she is not related to her (in the original novel she is)

Contents

Appearances

Early life

Little is known about the early life of Bambi's mother except that she and her future husband, the Great Prince, met in childhood and that she grew up with another doe named Mena. It is also known that she was a relative to Ena, who is probably either her cousin or sister (as mentioned on the original novel)

Bambi's mother is introduced after having just given birth to her only son. She is often teaching Bambi about the forest and warning him of the dangers of Man. She and her son endure a harsh winter in which there is little food in the forest. While out in the meadow, she and Bambi find a small patch of grass to graze, but as they eat, she senses danger and tells Bambi to run back to the den as fast as he can. She sprints after him, continuing to urge him onward. Gunshots are heard in the background, but she tells him to keep running, and not to look back. After another gunshot rings throughout the forest, Bambi makes it safely back to the den, but finding his mother isn't with him, leaves and begins calling for her in vain. The Great Prince finds Bambi, and tells him that she could no longer be with him, and to come with him. This reveals the death of Bambi's mother, and that the Great Prince was his father.

Bambi's mother makes a short appearance to Bambi in his dream, telling him that everything would be alright and that she would always be with him in his heart. After waking up, Bambi still hears her voice. He goes to the meadow and discovers she is not there. Her voice still trails out on the meadow, sending Bambi to find her and becomes in a life and death situation. After being chased by Man's dogs, he asks his father if she is ever coming back, and the Great Prince answers no, meaning that Bambi's mother is dead.

In the episode "Devil's Due", Cruella De Vil mentioned one of her furs and says "I'm not saying it's Bambi's iconic dead mother, and I'm not saying it's not."

Trivia

At one point, the film was meant to show her body after she was shot but was later removed as it would be too dark. Despite this, it is considered to be one of the most horrific and graphic deaths in all of Disney history.

She is similar to Tod's mother in The Fox and the Hound, and Mufasa in The Lion King in the sense of teaching her son the lessons of life and death at his young age. Both are also killed by the film's main villain (Mufasa by Scar and her by Man). Both also appear in their sons' dream/nightmare in the second films (Mufasa in the sequel and her in midquel).